Is AliExpress Legit? [2023 Reviews & Alternatives]

AliExpress.com is a website and ecommerce business that caters to traders specializing in wholesale goods (items that come directly from the manufacturer and avoid the retail middleman) and online retail service. It’s one of the biggest online marketplaces, and many Chinese manufacturers are on it to provide direct-to-consumer products at competitive costs.

Since AliExpress is an online marketplace, you will always find dishonest merchants there looking to take advantage of customers by selling them low-quality goods. So, is AliExpress safe and a legit website?

In this review, we are going to take a deeper look at AliExpress to find out what it’s all about, how it works and whether it is a safe online marketplace for you.

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AliExpress Review

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What is AliExpress?

AliExpress is an online marketplace and online marketplace owned by the Alibaba Group that enables independent small businesses and manufacturers in China to sell directly to consumers across the world.

The marketplace has drawn comparisons to eBay and Amazon because it gives small businesses a platform to sell their products to customers globally.

In fact, AliExpress is referred to as the Chinese eBay. Similar to Ebay, AliExpress provides a wide range of goods in more than 10,000 categories.

Products on AliExpress typically cost far less than those found anywhere else in the world, including the US, because AliExpress is situated in China where the cost of labor is low.

On AliExpress, every seller is a third party. As a platform, AliExpress doesn’t sell anything. It merely provides the marketplace. This implies that depending on the seller, your experience could be very different.

Who founded AliExpress?

The Alibaba Group, which was established in 1999 by Chinese entrepreneur Jack (Yun) Ma, is the parent company of AliExpress.

Ma originally intended for the business to serve as an online marketplace for Chinese manufacturers to transact with foreign shops, and that is still largely what it does today.

Invoking Ali Baba, the fabled figure from Arabic folklore, as the company’s name-bearer, he cited both his kindness as a businessman and his capacity to become well-known throughout the world.

To allow Chinese producers to sell their products directly to customers rather than via retail businesses for resale, AliExpress was introduced in 2010.

Its popularity is due to the fact that individual customers worldwide may purchase goods directly from Chinese manufacturers who manufacture them, as opposed to retail stores that would ordinarily purchase and then resell these goods at higher prices.

AliExpress has your goods delivered to you through common international courier services. It is especially popular in Russia, though it also ships to 200 countries and regions worldwide.

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Products that AliExpress sells

Since AliExpress is a generic online marketplace, you can purchase a wide range of items there. It’s possible to purchase clothing, accessories, gadgets, toys, sporting goods, furniture, office supplies, and much more! Just keep in mind that you’re shopping for bargains, so don’t anticipate finding too many well-known brand names.

The following is a list of the product categories available on AliExpress:

• Women’s Accessories & Clothes
• Clothes and accessories for men
• Telecommunications & Phones
• Office & Computer
• Personalized electronics
• Clothing & Accessories
• Garden & Home
• Bags & Baggage
• Shoes
• Mom and kids
• Activities & Recreation
• Beauty & Health
• Watches
• Hobbies & Toys
• Events & Weddings
• Motorcycles & Automobiles
• Furniture for Lighting & Lights
• Electronic Supply & Components
• School and office supplies
• House Renovation
• Food safety
• Security

How does AliExpress Work?

After you create an account to access the online retail store, AliExpress will ask for your first and last name, gender, date of birth, nationality and a list of the shopping categories you are interested in, such as consumer electronics, men’s fashion, and tech accessories.

You will also be questioned about your marital status, the birthdays of your children, the industry you work in, your average pay, an estimation of how much you spend on online shopping each month and the other online stores you like.

Once your profile is created, you may explore AliExpress and use the search box at the top of the page to look for products. By choosing the Purchase Now button on the product’s particular page, you can buy it.

Alternatively, you can add it to your shopping basket by choosing the Add to Cart button. The majority of other online retailers, such Amazon or Etsy, have a similar checkout process to AliExpress.

By purchasing directly from Chinese manufacturers, you’ll can get great deals, but using coupons will help you save even more money. For purchases made just at their store, certain sellers will provide coupons.

You can add additional coupons that AliExpress itself issues during promotions to your account and use them later on any approved purchase.

You may track your package through AliExpress by using the tracking information provided by the courier. By doing so, you’ll be able to roughly estimate when your order will arrive.

The AliExpress standard shipping duration is 20 to 60 days. After 10 days, you should get in touch with the vendor if you haven’t received an update for your tracking number. You won’t be able to file a formal non-delivery complaint until the allotted delivery period has passed.

For any reason, AliExpress will issue a full refund if you are unable to get the package in the end. Hence, it is safe to buy from AliExpress and you can select any shipping option, regardless of the shipping time or tracking number.

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How to shop on AliExpress

Shopping online on AliExpress can get slightly overwhelming especially with all the various choices provided. Here are a few tips to help you with your online shopping experience:

Choose reputable sellers with high ratings

For AliExpress sellers, there is a ‘Feedback Score’ that reflects both the effectiveness of the vendor and the degree of client satisfaction. A seller with 2,500 positive feedback ratings and 95% favorable reviews would be regarded as a reputable seller.

Yet, this does not imply that a seller with a 400 or 500 feedback rating is not a reliable dealer.

The duration of the store’s operation as a working business should also be taken into account.

Customers frequently follow the notion that businesses with 95% or more positive reviews are trustworthy.

Compare prices

Before making a decision, it is generally advised to examine the prices offered by several vendors. For instance, if numerous providers charge the same price for a given product, but one of them charges much less, this is a hint that his items are not authentic. So be cautious.

Simply utilize the filtering tool to obtain the extremely expensive or extremely inexpensive products, then take the appropriate action.

Confirming authenticity of product

It could be challenging to pick out the quality products in such a large online market. There are, however, a few techniques to tell if you are buying counterfeit products or not.

After checking the seller rating in contrast to those who are new, a seller is more likely to have authentic products if they offer a variety of goods. You may see what brands the seller’s category offers by clicking on it.

If the price is cheap, wait till the other competitors are providing at the same price before buying it. There should be seller guarantees on the item.

Communicate with seller directly

It’s crucial to communicate. Instead of using AliExpress, you ought to try to get in touch with a vendor directly. The best course of action is to communicate all of your needs in writing to the seller. You can also ask any questions you may have and get their answers on any lingering concerns. It is the seller’s duty to inform the buyers about the goods so that they may make decisions with ease.

Read the item description carefully

The product’s detail section frequently contains helpful information that may be of service to you. In the description of a product, you can read about the garment material, production material, and other information.

Check delivery time

Although AliExpress is situated in China, suppliers in China ship 80% of the company’s merchandise. If you were to locate a local distributor from your nation on AliExpress, it will be more convenient. Although the possibilities are slim, a significant number of product listings fall into this category.

In general, if you choose an cheap shipping option, shipping takes about 28 days. Yet, if you pay for the premium shipping options, it might be faster.

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What makes AliExpress safe?

Aliexpress Buyer protection program

AliExpress offers buyer protection as every qualified listing carries a Buyer Protection badge. With this badge, your order should be delivered to your door within the specified window of time, such as 75 days which is the buyer protection period.

You can make a claim if it doesn’t come on time, and AliExpress will repay you after the claim process is complete, usually within 15 business days.

You have the right to a resolution if the product you received is faulty, subpar, or a fake. The claim procedure for such things is more involved and frequently drawn out. You must first submit a dispute that will be addressed by the seller.

You will work with the seller to come at a mutually agreeable resolution, which may entail a full or partial refund, an item replacement, or a gift card. If you and AliExpress are unable to agree on a solution within 15 days, AliExpress will decide what should be done.

Payment information security

Credit or debit cards can be used to pay for your orders either directly through AliExpress or through AliPay. In either case, since Alibaba controls both services, you will be doing business with a business that belongs to it.

If you decide to use your credit or debit card to make a direct purchase, AliExpress will want your payment information. The good news is that only AliExpress will see them, preventing unauthorized vendors from obtaining your card details.

You also have the option to choose not to save your payment information. If you truly want to keep your payment information private, you’ll have to enter your card information each time you check out, but that’s only a little inconvenience.

Like PayPal, Cash App, and Venmo, AliPay is a safe payment method. Your credit or debit card can be used to fund your AliPay account, and you can use the remaining funds to make purchases. It is safer to use AliPay than to transact with AliExpress directly because neither AliExpress nor the vendors can view your card information.

The only thing that might be of concern is the fact that AliExpress also shares data with outside marketers and advertisers. This implies that companies may target you with advertisements or marketing initiatives using your personal data.

The bad news is that every other e-commerce platform, including Amazon, shares data with outside advertisers. Unfortunately, the only option you have if you don’t want these companies to have access to your personal information is to stay away from online marketplaces.

How to join AliExpress

To access the AliExpress services, all you have to do is visit their website or download their app form the App store.

Once that is done, you can now create your AliExpress account by clicking the register button. A prompt will appear for you to enter your personal details i.e. your email address and your current location. You will also be asked to create your new password.

AliExpress requires your location to provide more suitable services based on your location and better protect your data security according to the laws and regulations of your country.

You can also create your account with either your Facebook, Google, Twitter or Apple account. Registration with AliExpress is free of charge.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Safe To Buy Electronics from AliExpress?

Electronics purchases on AliExpress are 100 percent secure thanks to buyer protection. Nonetheless, the hardware and software will be of lower general quality than in the US or Europe.

In China, the quality control standards for electronics are lower, and computer equipment is frequently glitchy and not built to withstand the test of time.

Does Aliexpress sell counterfeit products?

You always incur the danger of acquiring fake goods from dishonest sellers if you purchase from AliExpress, as the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative now classifies AliExpress as one of the top global sources of counterfeit products.

Scammers frequently use AliExpress to list prices that are well below MRP. Sellers can add variations to their product listings on AliExpress, such, say, different sizes for t-shirts.

They generate listings for products that depict actual products, but the price listed is for an add-on. The listings seem like terrific deals to buyers. Yet, when you click them, you’ll find that the quoted prices are for cheaper accessories, whilst the actual things cost more.

To its credit, AliExpress is working to stop counterfeiting. Now that listing violators can be reported, it appears like AliExpress is finally doing something about the counterfeit items.

Can I get a refund with AliExpress?

Raise a dispute with the seller if a package just does not come or if you are experiencing another problem. After logging onto your orders summary page, you begin the process by interacting with the Eva customer care bot, which is placed in the bottom right corner. Choose the appropriate issue from the list, then wait as the bot loads your orders.

At this point, it’s crucial to keep in mind that the protection period has now been extended for the majority of orders to 90 days due to supply chain and delivery concerns. You won’t be able to file a dispute if your order is still inside this delivery timeframe.

Eva will ask you to confirm that you wish to launch a dispute if the delivery window has passed or if you’re reporting another product quality concern. After you do so, the process of negotiating with the seller begins.

If additional support is required for your claim, provide it. Your claim can be denied by the seller, or they might offer you an alternative, such as a partial refund, which you can choose to accept or not. This continues until a compromise has been reached by both parties. A decision will be made by an AliExpress agent if a resolution is not reached in about 45 days (it’s unclear how they determine this time frame).

Is AliExpress involved in any data breaches?

Not that we are aware of. As far as we know, AliExpress has not experienced a major security breach, and the business vows to alert the public if this does happen.

How long does AliExpress take to deliver?

On AliExpress, each product page has an anticipated delivery date, which is often between 20 and 60 days. When the COVID-19 situation began, AliExpress extended the “Buyer Protection Period” to a maximum of 90 days.

With its own warehouses and shipping partners in various nations, AliBaba started its own shipping service in 2018 under the name Cainao with an overseas warehouse. Unfortunately, this service has been reported to be unreliable.

Even if you receive a notification that a package has arrived in your country, it may still take up to a month or longer for Cainao to deliver it to you.

On the other head, AliExpress Standard Shipping is typically delivered via Airmail, with your regular local mail service handling the final mile (Royal Mail in the UK, or USPS in the USA).

The most dependable shipping options are courier services like DHL or UPS, but they come at a price.

It may take a week for a product to be dispatched before a tracking number is added, but all shipments even those with free delivery will have one once they have been shipped.

After, you should be able to track the item as it travels through several Chinese post offices before finally arriving at the customs clearance agency in your nation.

What are the aliexpress alternatives?

There are a number of competitors who also cater to customers wishing to purchase an extensive range of goods at cheap costs. Among the significant ones are:

• LightInTheBox: Although LightInTheBox’s products cost a little more than those on AliExpress, they are still considerably less expensive than those you would purchase online. Because it has several U.S. warehouses, LightInTheBox differs from AliExpress in that some of its products will ship considerably more quickly than they would if they were being shipped from China.
• Wish App: Similar to AliExpress, Wish App connects Western customers with Chinese vendors who can provide them well-known products for a fraction of the price they would spend at home.
• DHGate: DHGate has been active for more than ten years and offers goods purchased from Chinese wholesalers. It directly competes with AliExpress’ target market and even heavily borrows from the design of the AliExpress website.

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Pros of AliExpress

• There is a huge variety of products to choose from
• The prices are pocket friendly and reasonably low
• They offer a buyer protection program
• They have their own payment service, Alipay, that makes it easier and safer to use the platform

Cons of AliExpress

• It has been ranked by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative as one of the top global sources of counterfeit products.
• The process of requesting for a refund due to low quality products is tedious
• There are a couple of fraudulent sellers on the platform that scam buyers.

Conclusion: Is it Legit?

Since AliExpress is operated by the Alibaba Group, one of the biggest online and retail businesses in the world, it is undoubtedly legit.

You can benefit from its various buyer protection policies, and it closely monitors its users to weed out sellers or buyers engaged in any shady operations.

Despite this, there is still a risk of scams and fraud on AliExpress, which is true of every business transaction, especially those conducted online. AliExpress is merely a platform for handling transactions, thus this isn’t strictly their problem. The true culprits are users who buy or sell with ulterior motives.

Before you leave

If you’re tired of scams and want a real solution for making money online check out my no.1 recommendation.

It’s helped me earn over $300,000 in the last 12 months alone:

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